Paradise Cemetery
Why it's listed
Paradise Cemetery is a two-acre burial ground in Jefferson, Georgia, used by the African-American community since at least 1880, the date of its earliest known grave marker. It occupies the site of Paradise A.M.E. Church, founded in 1854 as the first Black church in Jackson County, along with a schoolhouse, parsonage and two duplexes. Only the cemetery and foundation remnants of the 1919 concrete block church remain. Most markers are small stone tablets, many graves are marked only by rocks, and a few large obelisks and decorative stones, such as that of landowner Harrison Hawkins, stand out. Burials include teachers, farmers, church leaders and ministers, among them longtime pastor Reverend Willie D. Cash. The nomination presents the cemetery as a typical informally planned small-town Georgia African-American cemetery, significant for ethnic heritage and landscape architecture, and as the principal surviving resource of the local Black community's history. The period of significance runs from c.1880 to 1952.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the last surviving part of a larger African-American complex that included a church, school, parsonage and two duplexes. It is a good example of an informally planned African-American cemetery in a small Georgia town, with modest markers, unmarked graves and a few distinctive monuments. Those buried include teachers, farmers, landowners, church leaders and ministers from Jefferson and Jackson County.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000563, listed May 30, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Southern RR bet. Lawrenceville St. and Mahaffey Circle, Jefferson |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson County |
| Listed | May 30, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000563 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | c.1880-1952 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current function is cemetery; it has been in continuous use since at least 1880. Only foundation remains of the demolished church buildings survive on the site. |
| Acreage | 2.1 |
| Within district | Jefferson Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.11911, -83.58206 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000563.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.